Vigil: Edinburgh Woollen Mill urged to act on Bangladesh deaths

Vigil: Edinburgh Woollen Mill urged to act on Bangladesh deaths

On 24 November 2012, a factory in Bangladesh, Tazreen Fashions, went up in flames killing at least 120 workers and injuring 150 more.

Some reports say the doors and fire exits were locked, making the blaze fatal for so many. More than 200 people have died in garment factory fires in the country since 2006, but this is the largest such incident for many years.

Labels from Edinburgh Woollen Mill, among others, were found in the burnt wreckage of the factory, but so far the brand would appear to be indifferent to the tragedy and has not responded to calls for the company to take responsibility for its complicity in the disaster.

The tragic loss of life caused by irresponsible production practices needs to be addressed. A group of concerned advocates in Britain are asking Edinburgh Woollen Mill to pay its fair share in compensating the victims of the fire and their families for their loss. We are also asking them to sign up to much better fire safety policies in the factories they buy from.

We are inviting people to to join a candlelit vigil, organised by Labour behind the Label, to commemorate the lives of the workers in Bangladesh, and to spread the message among passing shoppers that Edinburgh Woollen Mill, and others connected with Tazreen Fashions, must act.

Labour Behind the Label (http://www.labourbehindthelabel.org/) is a campaign that supports garment workers' efforts worldwide to improve their working conditions, through awareness raising, information provision and encouraging international solidarity between workers and consumers. Its members include trade unions and their local branches, consumer organisations, campaign groups, and charities. LBL works together with similar campaigns across Europe and with partners in producer countries through its members and the Clean Clothes Campaign, of which it is the UK platform.